Birthday Present
by Naw d Blume
Summary: [Republished] [Beta-ed by Riko and Jade] NOT a birthday present for the twins./ "Cagalli. Wake up. Wake up."/ "Uh. What? Kira?"/ "Happy birthday."/ RnR, CnC!/ Don't like don't read!


Gundam Seed/Destiny © Mitsuo Fukuda and Affiliations.

Standard warning for rated-T fics's applied.

Enjoy the story!

000

**Birthday Present**

By : Naw d Blume

Beta-ed by : Riko and Jade

000

Birthday Present

They were born from the same woman. They were born from the same womb. They even consumed the same nutrients inside the womb. They were siblings. They were twins to be exact. It was natural for them to have an identical appearance. It was natural for them to understand each other well. It was natural for them to share each other's feelings. It was natural for them to have a connection; a close connection. It was natural for them to care about each other. However … it was unnatural for him to love her more than a brother's love for his sister.

It was him who was cursed with this love, the love of a man for a woman.

It was him who was cursed with this one-sided love, this unrequited love.

It was not his fault for having such a deep feeling as love. It was not his fault that he had no power to stop it. Love came without invitation. Love was formed without reason. Love might disappear like fog.

He hoped that the feeling would disappear just like its arrival, without any warning.

He had no idea when or even if the feeling would disappear. As years went by and the unwanted feeling remained, he wondered if it would fade away at all. Love was confusing, especially for him.

000

Kira stared out of the window at the starry night sky absentmindedly. A book was opened in front of him. It was his homework; his already-finished homework. He had needed less than an hour to finish all of the questions, since he found it easy; writing the answer as soon as he started working on a problem.

He tensed when suddenly the stars disappeared from his sight and everything turned black. Discovering something familiar within the darkness surrounding him, he relaxed.

A sound of husky voice was heard near his right ear, "Guess … who am I?"

"I know who has this…," he paused and stroked the pair of hands covering his eyes, "… rough skin. It must be my one and only sister, Cagalli Hibiki."

_Whack_!

He rubbed his head, "Ouch… what was that for?"

Cagalli sat on his bed. "Well, it's for calling my skin rough," she said nonchalantly.

"So, what brings you here? I didn't hear you knock," he asked, looking at his sister.

"I knocked three times, but you didn't give me any response. So, I welcomed my own self."

Kira blinked several times. He didn't realize that he had been spacing out because he had felt like watching the stars –although he did not realize for how long. He sighed. Cagalli walked behind him and peeked at his homework. She was amazed to find it fully done. She grinned and hugged Kira tightly from behind, making his heart beat faster. Her arms were around his neck while her cheek touched his as she bent over him. They were so close.

"Kira, my dearest big brother…," Cagalli said sweetly.

Kira silently groaned, realizing that his sister was up to something. "Hmmm?"

"Let me copy your work. Please?"

"…"

"I'll kick your ass if you don't let me."

"…"

"Kira…," her voice was threatening.

He tapped on her hands, gestured that he was out of breath because of the still-lingering-on-to-his-neck arms of hers. Realizing what he meant, she let her arms down hurriedly while Kira gasped for breath.

"Geez, you almost made me a goner. You should remember your own strength," he advised her, much to her chagrin.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to." she pouted, made Kira blush a little –nothing was as cute as his sister was when she was pouting like that. "So… you will let me borrow your homework, right?"

She offered him a very wide grin.

"Well, you haven't even tried doing it. At least, you must try before looking at … my … homework," he finished his words bit by bit after getting a glare from his bonfire –the glare that was able to silence him.

"Kira, you know I hate mathematics so much. There is no way I can finish it by tonight. I will throw up every time I look at a problem. You don't want me to get sick because of that, right? Right?"

Kira was hesitating; on one hand, he didn't want to lend his book - on the other, his sister was hard to resist. He gave up. "Ok. However, when you don't understand how I got the answer, don't hesitate to ask. I don't want you to copy it all without understanding anything."

"Thank you so much!" she squeaked and kissed her twin on the cheek. "I'll get my book."

Kira was taken aback. Nevertheless, a serene smile dawned on his face. That smile was the one reserved only for Cagalli. Tonight, Kira was sure that he would have good dreams. Some of the best dreams ever.

Not long after, Cagalli came back with her book in hand. She ushered Kira from his seat and replaced him. Kira went to his bed and laid on his stomach. A book on mechanics was in front of him. However, if people studied him intensely, they'd know that he wasn't paying any attention to the book. Instead, his gaze was locked on a certain blonde sitting in his seat.

"Hey, Kira. Will you promise me one thing?" Cagalli suddenly asked without glancing at him. Her hand was busy writing while her eyes were concentrated on his work.

"Hmmm."

She turned her head to Kira. Two spots of blush were evident on her cheeks. "Tell no one about that. You know, the paper this morning."

Kira kept silent as if thinking about which book she was talking about while in fact, he was well aware what she meant. It was a piece of paper that he had found inside her book the night before. He had been borrowing her history book and had found a piece of paper inside. A paper with a secret … a big secret.

He glanced at her, met her pleading eyes. "Sure."

Cagalli smiled and then continued her writing. Once in a while, she would ask Kira about one of his answers to a question. Some of them were quite hard for her, so she needed a long time to understand them. It was almost midnight when finally there were no sounds anymore. Cagalli went back to her room after giving him a 'thank you' and good-night kiss.

The kiss indeed made the night better for Kira.

Kira was smiling like an idiot. He was fascinated by the feeling of her lips on his cheek. Pheromones affected him as he wondered about how her lips on his would taste. Soon after, his smile faded away, replaced by a frown.

"Cagalli … we are … twins. Yeah, twins."

Reality was cruel.

He realized his feelings when they were juniors in senior high school. He shouldn't be attracted towards his sister, but he couldn't stop the feeling. After trying everything, he gave up. He stopped trying and accepted it. Love found its way anyway. He had no power to stop or to erase it. Love sure hurt a lot, though. It was painful … too much so for his first love.

000

Kira and Cagalli walked back together after school. They were talking to each other about random trivial things. Though it would better to say that she was talking and he was the one listening. Or at least he was until some thing hit him on the head.

_Bang_!

"Ouch… what did you do?"

Cagalli stopped walking, and stood with arms akimbo, "It's because you were ignoring me. Geez… I felt like a crazy person talking to myself. You are so mean."

"I'm sorry, Cags. Something took over my mind…"

Her stare suddenly softened. "Do you want to share? I might be able to help."

Kira fell silent before shaking his head –a NO.

"You sure?"

A nod.

"I just offer that this once, you know. You could take my offer now or never." she said with a determined face.

Kira chuckled and patted her head. "You don't need to sound insistent, Cags. I will tell you eventually."

They looked at each other for a moment before Cagalli looked away. Something inside Kira's eyes seemed to be telling her something. However, she couldn't put her finger on it. It must be something important since the shine of his eyes seemed bright –but somehow, she could tell that they were also dim on the inside.

They walked slowly on the pavement in front of some shops. When they were in front of 'Toko d'Kado', Cagalli stopped and bent over.

She was looking at a miniature of Archangel that was shown on the inside of the glass; Archangel, the high ranked angel. Archangel was a beautiful luxurious assault ship that was equipped with many powerful weapons. She thought that Archangel was really cool and planned to buy its miniature when she had enough money. She couldn't ask for more money to buy the quite-high priced miniature, right? The miniature would be more valuable for her if she used her own saved money. It would be the first thing she had tried hard to get after all.

She sighed. She needed a little bit more before she could buy her desired miniature. Kira, who walked beside her, looked at her warmly. A smile appeared on his face. Cagalli straightened her back before walking on again – without noticing the smile on his handsome face.

000

It was only a week before Kira and Cagalli's seventeenth birthday. Cagalli was sitting in front of the TV. She wondered about what she would get for her birthday from Kira. Her twin always made sure to give her what she wanted. And … she had been dreaming of having the archangel miniature they had seen in Toko d'Kado. She wondered if he would give her that.

"But, it's expensive…."

She didn't want her favorite brother to spend his money on an expensive miniature. She could buy it soon after all. Nevertheless, she still had the right to hope, didn't she? Her brother seemed to give her the most surprising things every time their birthday came. He always found a way to discover what she wanted. He always found out how to give her that. He was like a magician; with a bit of abracadabra, everything would be available.

Thinking about what she wanted, she realized that she didn't even know what Kira wanted for this year. She kept wondering, but she couldn't think of anything. She did really want to give him a special gift. Suddenly as if on cue, Kira walked near her, a towel in his hand.

"Hey, Kira. What do you want for your birthday?" She asked him, straight to the point.

Kira looked at her for a moment. He thought for an answer.

Cagalli stared at him while thinking, 'Geez… he is impossible. In a week, we are going to be seventeen; yet, he doesn't have anything in mind?'

"… you."

She blinked before realizing that he had told her what he wanted, "What? Could you repeat it? I didn't catch your words."

Kira laughed and tapped her head, "No repetition, Cags. It's your own fault for spacing out."

She pouted while staring at him, walking to the bathroom. She wondered what he said. However, she didn't hear it at all except the last word –'you'. Maybe he wanted something, which was hers? Who knew?

She wouldn't mind giving him anything that was hers. They could share everything. If only she knew what he wanted.

"Geez, Kira… Why are you making this so difficult?"

She had to seek what he wanted by her own power. In a week, she hoped that a miracle would appear to help her in finding out what he wanted.

000

[11.59 pm]

The clock on Kira's table glowed red. It was only a minute before he would be seventeen. He was still awake. His heart drummed faster than usual and it gave him trouble sleeping.

It's not so uncommon, right? He was going to do something unexpected after all.

He stood and walked out of his room, his destination being his twin's room. Her room was unlocked when he tried to open it. The dim light of the lamp formed the silhouette of Cagalli's figure. Her blonde hair was scattered on her pillow and her serene face seemed calm. He didn't know what would happen after he carried out his plan. She might not be calm anymore. But…

He made up his mind and took a deep breath.

"Cagalli. Wake up. Wake up." He tapped her shoulder, awakening her.

She stirred before opening her eyes. It was barely midnight.

"Uh. What? Kira?"

"Happy birthday."

She sat up when she finally registered what he had said. She was finally seventeen! Happily, she hugged Kira and said, "Happy seventeenth birthday to you too, my best brother!"

She took a box near her pillow, the birthday present she wanted to give him. She had bought a mechanical bird called Torii for Kira. She thought that Kira might have some interest in mechanical things since she remembered he had once read a book on mechanics. The bird was cool and could fly just like a real bird. She looked at him anxiously while he opened the box, unsure if he would like it or not.

"If you don't like it, don't blame me. You didn't tell me what you really wanted." she hmmph-ed and added, "So, where is my gift? Did you buy me that miniature of Archangel?"

Kira offered a big box, "Here it is. Open it."

Cagalli opened her birthday present impatiently. From the size of the gift, she could guess that it was the Archangel. In the glass box, the miniature of Archangel looked grand. The dim light in the room didn't diminish the beauty of the ship in her eyes. "It's really Archangel. Thanks so much, Kira. I love you!" she hugged him again.

Kira smiled before he cleared his throat, "I have an additional gift, though. There is something more precious I'd like to give you. I will give it still even though you don't want it."

She was curious. "What is it?"

Kira kept silent and stood still. He stared into her amber eyes. Amethyst and amber met with each other. She felt something inside her heart stir. His intense eyes were something he rarely showed in public. They told her how serious he was. His intense eyes made her scared. Their eyes lost contact when he moved closer to her. Their noses almost touched.

"My heart."

It was so quick. Their lips touched each other.

Cagalli's eyes grew wide in surprise, while Kira closed his eyes. His hands made their way to her cheeks and held her in place. He kissed her slowly; releasing the frustration he had felt for years.

She finally knew.

000

_Riiiiing… ring… ring…_

The sound of the alarm woke her up. She opened her eyes only to close them again when she met the bright light of the sun. The morning was bright, accompanied by the sound of birds just outside her window. She blinked several times to remove the spots from her eyes. Adjusting to her surroundings, she stared blankly at the ceiling. She had had a weird dream last night … or had it been real?

Cagalli stared at the miniature of Archangel on the table. Her fingers touched her swollen lips and two tear drops trickled down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

It was real.

000

END

000

Belated happy birthday, Kira! Belated happy birthday, Cagalli!

Hmmm, this is **not **a birthday present for Kira and Cagalli, anyway. I'd give them big fat cakes with cherries and strawberries on top if I were to give them presents. XD

So, review?


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